Why does any Canadian need a handgun?

“Mr. McLeod is a retired Toronto Police officer who spent three decades with a gun on his hip. He’s also a life-long Conservative supporter, whose backing wavered slightly when the government under Stephen Harper scrapped the long-gun registry, a measure he felt had become a vital investigative tool. But that all changed in July, 2018. For years, Mr. McLeod lived by the gun. Now, he’d rather live without. ‘My personal opinion? We should have no civilian handguns in Canada,’ he says.”

 

Patrick White, Tom Cardoso – The Globe and Mail – September 2019

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The loud silence of queer poverty

“Egale has fallen into one of the more common traps of 2S-LGBTQ non-profit organizing. While well intentioned and certainly useful, their activism primarily represents the perceptions and interests of more privileged members of the community – those who do not deal directly with homelessness, substance abuse, sex work, and other, more ‘unseemly’ elements of 2S-LGBTQ life, which has historically largely been defined by its lack of access to capital.”

Alex Verman – Briarpatch – September 2019

A Park for All, or a Park for Some?

“There’s a stretch of corrugated metal that gives the lower Don River its shape, a retaining wall that separates water from bank. It was mostly dull, rusted green, until a series of blue, hand-painted phrases appeared along parts of the wall last fall. You can see them from the trail that runs parallel to the river, and they read like a guest list of all the people you might find in the Don River Valley Park. ‘A park for artists,’ reads one. ‘A park for the Indigenous,’ reads another. ‘A park for the homeless.’ The installation is titled A Park For All by artist Will Kwan, and it asks, simply: Who are parks like this one for?”

Matthew Braga – The Local – July 2019

Reckless vigilante or heroic watchdog?

“To his supporters, Plecas’s relentless quest to expose wrongdoing — which last November led to the suspensions of Craig James, the clerk responsible for day-to-day running of the legislature, and Gary Lenz, the sergeant-at-arms in charge of security — has led to greater oversight of the public purse. (James subsequently resigned. Lenz was cleared of wrongdoing by McLachlin, but remains suspended with pay amid ongoing investigations.) But to critics, the former criminologist is a reckless vigilante who needs to be reined in. His crusading, they say, has led to instability and a toxic work environment. Rather than referee political fights, he’s the constant subject of them.”

Douglas Quan – National Post – September 2019

Misplaced Anger

“It’s easy to attack equalization, as many politicians do. Alberta receives nothing from it, and hasn’t in over a half century. But this isn’t because the program is unfair. Among the ranks of ‘have’ provinces, Alberta reigns supreme. No tweak to a program meant to transfer funds to lower income provinces should ever transfer to the richest.”

Trevor Tombe – Alberta Views – September 2019

He was a scoundrel with a jealous wife and a troubled mistress. He made the deal of a lifetime — then vanished

“I first learned about Ambrose Small when I was exploring the Path, the labyrinth of shops and food courts underneath the downtown core. I was on assignment for the Star and I wondered if there were any mysteries connected to the place. I was told the story of Ambrose Small and the Grand Opera House, the long-demolished theatre on Adelaide St. that was once the toast of Toronto’s entertainment scene.”

Katie Daubs – Toronto Star – September 2019

The Queen B

“Her brand is Cylon couture, all frosty beauty and androgynous angles: structured vinyls, dramatic cut-outs, shoulders and hips as sharp as steak knives. ‘Brooke Lynn is inspired by Linda Evangelista, Brigitte Nielsen, Grace Jones,’ Hayhoe says. ‘I think of her as an otherworldly Amazon: tall, powerful, wealthy.’ Other queens have parlayed their drag into acting, music, comedy, burlesque. Brooke Lynn Hytes is going to be a supermodel.”

 

Emily Landau – Toronto Life – September 2019